This invention relates to the field of belt buckles and in particular to a new and improved belt buckle, wherein the consumer may conveniently select one of a plurality of decorative inserts which are adapted to be interchangeably fitted onto the face of the buckle. Each of the inserts is preferably provided with a distinctive design, emblem or decorative theme of interest to a wide range of consumer tastes. Traditionally, consumers have been found most responsive to products which are personalized to display emblems which express their major interests or alter ego such as in sports, a particular profession, college or fraternal organization. The cost of providing customized or personalized belt buckles to satisfy such a wide variety of consumer interests have generally been very high, particularly in maintaining adequate inventories of such a wide variety of different theme designs.
One answer to this marketing problem is personalized belt buckles, has been to manufacture a buckle adapted to interchangeably receive one of a plurality of relatively inexpensive decorative cards or panels to provide a means by which the consumer may select designs, themes, or insignias of personal interest for use on the buckle being purchased by the consumer.
One such ornamental buckle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,836 which discloses a rectangular frame for receiving therein a resiliently flexible synthetic plastic card. The resiliently flexible card, in the nature of a credit card, is slidably fitted into the curved buckle frame which extends about the complete periphery of the card. By inserting the flat card into the curved frame, the card is flexed or tensioned in curved condition within the frame and is retained therein by a closure flange 29 or a separate keeper plate 48. To release the flexible card, either the keeper must be disengaged or the card must be pressed downwardly through the frame opening, so that its outer edge will be released from the retaining flange 29. While the U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,836 mentions that the buckle plate need not be curved and that the display pannel may be rigid, other than the use of a separate keeper plate 48, no suitable means is provided for simply and securely retaining the decorative panel within the buckle frame. There have been several other patents which disclose interchangeable belt buckle designs and in this regard, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,649,636, 1,882,475, and 1,400,666 which show various means for affixing decorative elements onto belt buckle surfaces. It has been found that none of the prior art patents disclose an entirely suitable belt buckle construction for use with high quality theme insert panels of generally rigid construction, whereby the belt buckle has the appearance of a high quality unitary construction.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a belt buckle having a removably insertable decorative panel of simple and economic construction having improved operational features while presenting the appearance of a high quality custom-made buckle of unitary construction.
Another object of this invention is to provide a buckle of the above type having constructional characteristics by which any one of a wide variety of theme insert panels can be simply but securly fastened to the buckle and removed as desired.
A further object of this invention is to provide a buckle of the above type for use in combination with a separable belt marketed in a single length which is cut to fit the individual purchaser, then simply fastened to the theme buckle holder.